Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057352).pdf/284

 276 SAD The population pumbers 54,477, and is thus distributed :- Hindus, agricultural 30,378 000-agricultural ... 16,720 1) 47,095 . Musalmans, agriculturl... non-agricultural 3,061 4,321 7.382 which shows that the Musalmans are 13 per cent. of the entire population. There are 504 souls to the square mile, and 5'1 to each house. And each head of the agricultural population has on an average 1.5 acres of culti- vated against 1.8 acres of assessed land, Well irrigation is badly wanting, because the tenantry cannot afford to build masonry wells, and the mud ones are comparatively expensive and easily fall in. But the country is cut up by numerous small streams, and if these were utilized as much as they might be, irrigation would be largely increased. On the east is the navigable river Chauka which flows into the Gogra at Bahramghat, some twenty miles from the southern extremity of the pargana; on the west, and separating it from Mahmudabad, flows the Sowbe, unnavigable; in the centre are the Kewani and Chauriári streams. The old bed of the Chauka described in the notice of pargana Mahmudabad is also one of the eastern boundaries. The pargana is a poor one. There are only two towns in it with a popu- lation exceeding 2,000, namely, Sadrpur and Bánsura. There are no roads -no mines nor quairies. No crops nor manufactures peculiar to the place; no melas or fairs, no remains of antiquity, no great bazars. The name is derived from that of the chief town Sadrpur, for the derivation and origin of which name the reader is referred to the town article, and the history (if the traditions of the people deserve such a title) is as follows :—In the beginning the tribe of Bliars possessed the land; Káyaths drove them out and held the country for 150 years, when certain Sourikya (Solankhi) Chhattris overran and occupied it for half a century. But the Káyaths at the end of that time rose against the descendants of the invaders and overcame them, and recovered their ancient dominions in 979 fasli (A.D. 1572). This was 305 years ago : and the Kayaths dwelt in the land unmolested for 100 years, when again they were attacked. This time the invaders were of many castes. In 1058 Muhammad Qázi got five villages, and Shekh Ahmad Allámi 22. In 1065 certain Janwár Chhattris from Biswán possessed themselves of 108 villages, and a clan of Bisens got ten, The Káyaths succeeded in keeping only 29. The pargana was formed by Todar Mal, and consisted of 212 villages, At Survey 52 were put into the neighbouring parganas, and out of the 160 which remained, 114 demarcated villages were constituted. These are held as follows :--Taluqdari 81, zamindari 33.